Porsche Model Overview

1948 -1965 : The 356The first Porsche’s were built in Gmund Austria from June 1948, approximately 50 mid engine 2 seater open sports cars were made, if you know of 1 for sale please do let us know. Production moved to Stuttgart in 1950, point of note was in 1953 when the Porsche badge was first used & in 1954 the 5000th 356 left the Zuffenhausen factory- which was 4500 more than Ferry Porsche thought would ever sell ! The 356 was produced alongside the new 911 until April 1965 when the last car was build number 81003.

1949-1964 : The TractorPorsche tractors were produced by Allgaier System Porsche in the old Zeppelin factory on Lake Constance, there were 4 basic models Junior-Standard-Super & Master, all powered by Porsche designed air cooled diesel engines either single-twin-triple or quad cylinder & from personal experience a unique sound!,over 125000 were made. The last tractors were built in 1964 OUTDOORS as the factory and assets had been sold to Renault

1963-1989 : The 911The Porsche 911 was premiered on September 1963, at the Frankfurt motor show. At that time it was known as the Porsche 901, however its name was to change to 911 before any cars were actually delivered. Porsche started working on a 356 replacement in the late 50’s, Erwin Komenda was given the task of coming up with a larger, more comfortable and more powerful car to replace the 356. The 356 itself had been launched in 1948- after many designs and prototypes, including the 4 seater model 695 of which Ferry Porsche did not approve as he didn’t want to compete with larger motor companies such as Mercedes.

The final shape of the 911 was the work of ‘Butzi’ Porsche & Komenda, They decided the car should be powered by a rear mounted engine, and following many designs they decided on a 6 cylinder 2.0litre engine with a chain driven overhead camshaft giving 130BHP with a 5 speed gearbox. With tight timescales and such a high specification the car at the launch in 1963 only had a mock up engine installed!Production of the first 911 customer cars began in September 1964, initially production was very slow, unfortunately the new car was taking longer to produce than anticipated. A slow start meant that the 356 carried on in production until 1965, where it was produced alongside the 911 in Zuffenhausen.

1964 -1966 : The 904The Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, designed by Butzi Porsche to race in the 1964 FIA GT class, Porsche had to build 100 street legal versions for homologation rules & these were sold out straight away, many more could of been sold in fact 25 additional cars were built in 1965 for ‘special customers, Its design and construction were all new - the chassis was ladder frame with a fibre glass bonded body which rode on coils springs all for the first time, there were 3 basic engine versions 4, 6 and 8 cylinder, the 904 was the beginning of a series of mid engined race cars that went on to the 917. Values of all these cars has now gone through the £1m barrier but can still be seen racing on circuits around Europe. Please do let PCT know if you are selling your 904 Carrera GTS as we are always looking for nice Porsche stock.

1965-1969 : The 912 The Porsche 912 was available in coupe or Targa variants & was seen by many as a transitional model from the 356 to the new 911. It had all the modern developments of the 911 compared to the 356 but had the tried and trusted 356 4 cylinder 1.6Litre 90 BHP engine. The 912 was very popular in the USA & even outsold the 911 in 1966 (mainly because of production problems with the 911 engine) in fact the 100,000 Porsche ever built was a 912 Targa for the German Police. In 1976 Porsche briefly reintroduced the 912 (E) for just 1 year to fill the gap between 914 and the new 924.

1969-1975 : The 914Porsche were looking to build a entry level car to replace the 912 and had worked with Vw on many projects, so an agreement was made between VW-Porsche for the 914. The body was built by Karmann, with its mid engine layout giving superb handling & it was decided to use a VW based 4 cylinder engine in the new 914, the 914/6 which followed had the 6 cylinder 2.0litre 911 engine, suspension and brakes from the 911T, this pushed the price up close to the 911T & the 914/6 was stopped in 1972,the 914/4 continued in production until it was replaced by the 924 in 1975.

1975-1988 : The924The Porsche 924 was designed & engineered by Porsche for VW, but when Volkswagen decided to drop the idea Porsche bought the rights and introduced the 924 as its own car . Built by VAG for Porsche at Neckarsulm & initially using lots of parts from VAG parts bins, the engine that was reworked by Porsche in 1979 with a turbo added to give a more Porsche like performance, the Carrera GT followed in 1981 and the much more refined 924S in 1985 with its detuned 944 engine, production continued until 1988 with over 150000 924 models produced.

1975 -1989 : The 930 Turbo The 911 turbo was unveiled at the Paris auto show in 1974, this was Porsche’s first production turbo charged car – after great success racing with the awesome turbo charged 917 series 30 and its 1000 BHP, Professor Ernst Fuhrmann was put in charge of development for what Porsche thought at the time would be a small batch of homologation cars, the rules changed and non were in fact needed, but they continued with development as a flag ship 911 road car, Porsche did go on to use the basis of the 930 for the 934 & 935 race cars with unprecedented success. The first customer 930 cars were delivered in early 1975, further developments over the years included enlarging the 3.0litre/260BHP engine in 1978 to 3.3 litres/300 BHP and adding an intercooler and a very welcome brake upgrade, 1988 no 930 models were produced, but in 1989 – the last year of the 930 & was fitted with a 5 speed up rated G50 gearbox.

1978-1993:The 928 Porsche’s first true Grand tourer. In 1975 Porsche became concerned how long the 911 would carry on selling for, as the 356 had run for less than 20 years & the 911 was now 20 years old. The world was changing and new regulations coming into force in the US which was Porsche’s biggest market, So Dr Furhmann the chairman of Porsche at the time was looking for a new car to replace the 911, after much consideration a major step was decided... a front mounted V8 engine with water cooling ! so a major step away from the 911.

The 928 was going to be Porsche’s flagship car and came with all the refinements & luxuries that the 911 didn’t have, with a choice of manual or true automatic gearbox, the revolutionary Weissach rear axle and radical new styling. The 928 was released in 1978 with a 4.5 litre engine with 245 bhp and a price tag of £19950 in the UK a similar price to the 930 Turbo. The 928 was showered with accolades none more so than being voted’ 1978 car of the year’ the first time a sports car had ever won it. Over the years the 928 was developed and had more power and engine upgrades with the GTS 5.4 litre being the best of them all, the cost of the car in the end forced Porsche to stop production as in 1995 it was very much a hand built car made to order costing over £75000. Porsche didn’t need to worry about the 911 popularity in the end, as when the 928 production stopped in 1995 they could make more 911’s at Zuffenhausen.

1982-1992 : The 944 was introduced in 1982 as a development of the 924, using a modified platform, installing a brand new all alloy engine – basically half a 928 engine - 4 cylinder 2.5 litres fitted with twin counter rotating balance shafts to make it feel as smooth as a 6 cylinder, with the engine at the front and gearbox at the back meant the 944 had near perfect weight distribution The new car was built at Neckarsalum the same factory as was 924. The 944 was much better equipped than the 924 with similar body work to the Carrera GT.1985 saw the most significant changes to the 944 from a new style dashboard & new alloy suspension plus ABS was first introduced, the engine size went up to 2.7 litre and then to 3.0 litre with 16 valves in the 944S2 as well as being available in a cabriolet version..1986 the Turbo versions known as the 951 with 250 BHP were released.

1987-1988 : The 959 Premiered at the 1983 Frankfurt motor show as a concept car known as Gruppe B , it was going to be Porsche’s entry into Group B racing series of experimental cars, Porsche had so many enquiries from potential customers for the car. The cars design was overseen by Helmut Bott who had been given the green light by then Porsche boss Peter Shultz to develop the ‘ultimate 911’ The car itself was virtually a new car using only a similar inner structure ,doors and roof to the production 911 ‘s . The 959 was the most technicaly advanced 911 it took a major step into developing aerodynamic aids and weight saving where possible using aluminium, polyurethane and Kevlar. Porsche only produced 200 cars, they were made for Porsche by Baur & all were sold by invitation selling at over $200,000 which was less than they cost to make !, in fact apparently 8 extra cars were made in 1992 for very special invited customers. The 959 did go onto major motor racing success winning the famous Paris to Dakkar rally and did win its class at Le Mans 24hours with a racing version of the 959 called the 961. Many of the lessons learnt by Porsche on the 959 were passed on to production cars with the 993 Turbo being a production brother.

1989-1994 : The 964 Carrera was introduced in 1989 and was Porsche ‘s first 911 production car to have new mod cons such as power steering-ABS-4wheel drive-coil spring suspension & an electric rear spoiler, that raised at speeds over 50 mph , infact over 80% of the car was new compared to the outgoing 3.2 Carrera. In 1989 Porsche were making the 3.2 Carrera as well as the 964 Carrera 4 all wheel drive cars on the same production line in Zuffenhausen. The 964 had a 3.6 litre air cooled 250 BHP engine with a 5 speed manual gearbox or a 4 speed tiptronic gearbox for the first time. In 1990 Porsche were making the 4 wheel drive 964 and introduced the 2 wheel drive version the Carrera 2 with a choice of body work coupe-Targa or Cabriolet. In 1991 the 964 RS was released – a much lighter version of the 964 Carrera 2 with little or no trim, it even had an aluminium bonnet and no power steering in LHD versions. The 964 Speedster had many of the lightweight panels from the RS but also had a lower raked windscreen. The 964 turbo was introduced in 1992 known as the 965 with its 3.3 litre which went on to 3.6 litres with 360 BHP.

1992-1995:The 968 The final development of the 924 and 944 was the 968, which was built for the first time at Zuffenhausen, it was 80% new compared to the 944s2 that it replaced, it was decided to give it a family resemblance between models so it took on looks from 911,959,928 & 993.The 968 was powered by a 3.0litre 240bhp engine with vario cam timing, Dual mass flywheel & 6 speed manual gearbox or tiptronic gearbox for the first time, it was sold in 2 guises as a coupe or a cabriolet. In 1993 Porsche released the 968 Club Sport a stripped out light weight version, with upgraded suspension, the club sport was voted performance car of the year. The final year of the 968 Porsche even made a UK only version the 968 Sport, but only 300 were sold.

1995-1998 : The 993 Carrera was designed by Englishman Tony Hatter and marked the end of the line for the iconic 911, being the last air cooled 911. Using the 964 as a base to its design but with many upgrades in handling & body work, a 993 is much sleeker and wider than the 964.The all new alloy multilink arm rear suspension was taken from the still born 989 model, making the 993 the best handling 911 ever. Powered by 270 BHP 6 cylinder air cooled boxer engine that was increased in 1996 to 285 BHP when the Varioram engine was used, all 993’s were fitted with a 6 speed manual gearbox for the first time or could have the 4 speed Tiptronic gearbox –operated from steering wheel switches again for the first time. The 993 had improved brakes steering and exhausts over the 964 models. The 993 model line up was very extensive, Coupe Targa- with an all new sliding glass roof panel or Cabriolet versions with a choice of 2 or 4 wheel drive. Then in 1995 the 3.8 Litre 993 RS lightweight model with little or no trim.Please do contact PCT if you are thinking of selling your 993 as we are always looking for nice ones.

The 993 Turbo models introduced in 1996 with 4 wheel drive & 420 BHP, wider track bigger brakes and better aerodynamics. The 993 2S & 4S had turbo wide body work but with the standard 993 engine again in 2 or 4 wheel drive versions but with 993 turbo looks and stance. Other models were the awesome GT2 and the Speedster plus Porsches special wishes department made other variations of the above. The 993 model continued the long line of air cooled 911 models made at Zuffenhausen and signalled after 34 years the end of the 911, the total production run of 993’s was over 68000, these 993’s are now some of the most sought after Porsches and values have risen sharply.

1996-2004 : The 986 Boxster was first seen as a concept car at the Paris motor show in 1992 & was designed by Harm Lagaay to be Porsche’s biggest volume selling car ever. The Boxster model 986 is a mid engine 2 seat roadster with Porsche 550 Spyder looks, the Boxster is the first mid engined Porsche since the 914 that was made in the late 1960’s..Wendelin Wiedeking CEO of Porsche realised they needed to make cars more efficiently and a new entry model car with common components from other models would help Porsche who were losing money on the current production cars. This was to be Porsche’s first entry into volume production and using lessons learnt from Toyota, production needed to be modernised and improved-whilst cutting costs, with a smaller parts inventory used on more than 1 model, so the Boxster was going to share components with the new 996 Carrera. This meant productivity jumped by making the 2 cars side by side with shared componentsProduction began in 1996 at Zuffenhausen at the 928 GTS facility, as the car became more and more popular production was also set up in Finland at Uisikaupunki initially to build cars for the USA market. Powered by a 204 BHP 2.5 Litre water cooled 6 cylinder Boxer engine - which is where the Boxster’s name comes from... boxer engine & roadster body = Boxster. The Boxster with its low centre of gravity and near perfect weight distribution was an instant hit, engines developed from 2.5 into 2.7 & 3.2 litres and gearboxes from 5 to 6 speed or tiptronic gearbox. The Boxster S was introduced in 2000 with more power it also had larger brakes taken from the 996 Carrera, in 2003 the Boxster had re designed bumpers, clear indicators and a glass heated rear window as well as a glove box amongst other minor updates, the 986 model Boxster was replaced in 2005 by the model 987 Boxster.

1998-2005 : The 996Carrera The all new 996 Carrera was first seen at the Frankfurt motor show in 1997, it was to be a completely new car to rescue Porsche’s finances. The design was by Harm Lagaay who designed the Boxster, the 996 was going to be very different to any Porsche model before it. The new 911 has all new chassis & bodywork as is the interior and the suspension, the rear mounted much loved air-cooled engine was after 34 years replaced by a new water cooled 300BHP 3.4 Litre unit for environmental reasons & new drive by noise regulations. The overall length of the car has increased by 185mm and width has increased by 30mm, so the 996 was a much bigger car than any 911 before it, with a roomier cabin and again for the first time in a 911 proper heating and ventilation! The 996 Carrera shared many components with the 986 Boxster including the family look to the front of the car, many new owners were unhappy that both cars looked so similar-so Porsche changed the front bumper and headlights in the 996 when it was updated in 2001 they being taken from the 996 Turbo. Porsche made many versions of the 996 initially it was 2 wheel drive but soon there were 4 wheel drive versions, 6 speed manual gearbox or Tiptronic, Coupe-Cabriolet and Targa. The awesome 996 Turbo was released in 2000 with its 3.6 Litre twin turbo and 4 wheel drive, GT2 and GT3 models followed and then the GT3RS. In 2002 the 996 Carrera’s engine was boosted to 3.6 Litres with 325BHP and a Carrera 4S version released –a popular model with the looks of the Turbo model but 996 engine & 4 wheel drive, the 996 continued to be produced at Zuffenhausen alongside the new 997 Carrera in 2005.

2005-2011 : The 997 Carrera produced in 2 or 4 wheel drive and powered by 3.6L or 3.8L engine in the S models plus 3.6L 4 wd Turbo version, with choice of body work Coupe Targa Cabriolet.The 997 styling is very much more ' 993'

Cayman 981 2013--The second generation of Porsche Cayman was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The production 981 was released as a 2014 model in the spring of 2013. The new Cayman is available in standard form with a 2.7 Litre engine and 3.4 Litre in Cayman S with its 325 BHP Both versions are available with either a 6-speed manual, or 7-speed PDK gearbox The 981 Cayman features significant upgrades over the 987 Cayman including an entirely new body, a thoroughly redesigned interior that matches the latest 911 models, plus restyled body work similar to the Carrera GT with a touch of Panamera.